


can you feel it the way i do?

by sunshineforthesoul



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: But in a humorous way, Derek "Nursey" Nurse is Unchill, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Getting Together, M/M, Misunderstandings, One Shot, They’re both dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26309872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineforthesoul/pseuds/sunshineforthesoul
Summary: Nursey needs a date to his cousin’s wedding and he asks Dex, of all people.Dex takes it a lot better than he expects.
Relationships: Derek "Nursey" Nurse/William "Dex" Poindexter
Comments: 42
Kudos: 215





	can you feel it the way i do?

**Author's Note:**

> also on [tumblr](https://omgdexnursey.tumblr.com/post/628542900945502208/can-you-feel-it-the-way-i-do)
> 
> i’m taking a quick break because i so much homework to do (i hate online learning with a passion! :) ) but i wanted to get this uploaded before i get back to work. enjoy!
> 
> title from “the name of the game” by abba
> 
> check, please! and its characters belong to ngozi

Dex spins around in his chair when he hears a small knock on his door. Nursey’s standing in the doorway, watching him. His eyes dart away when Dex turns to him and although his expression is carefully reserved, he can’t quite figure out what to do with his hands. 

“Hey Dex,” he starts, looking everywhere except actually _at_ Dex. “Can I ask you to do me a huge favor?” 

“Uh. Sure.” Dex stands. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Nursey rubs the back of his neck. “So my cousin’s getting married this weekend and I kinda told her I was bringing you?”

“Okay…” Dex says slowly.

“I mean, you totally don’t have to go if you don’t want to, I’ll just make up an excuse for why you can’t go—”

“Nursey,” Dex cuts him off, frowning slightly. “I’ll go.”

Nursey blinks, surprised. “You will?”

“Yeah.” Dex doesn’t really understand where Nursey’s shock is coming from, but maybe Nursey’s just been so wrapped up in his own head lately that he’s convinced himself Dex wouldn’t want to go.

Nursery cocks his head. “And you’re okay with… being my date in front of my family?”

Dex nods. Again, he tries to get a grasp on Nursey’s strange behavior, but he can’t figure out what’s got him so tightly wound. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know. I just thought it might be kinda weird for you to…” He shakes his head. “Never mind.” The tension in his face disappears, replaced by a relieved smile. “Thank you so much. I’ll take you out to Annie’s when we get back. My treat.” 

He’s gone before Dex can say anything else. 

Dex turns back to his computer, trying to shake the feeling he’s missing something. 

  


__

* * *

  


Nursey can’t believe how well this is going. 

Truly, everyone knows of the Derek Nurse charm — which Dex absolutely refuses to acknowledge — but Dex is currently giving him a run for his goddamn money, all sweet smiles and delicate laughs and easy conversations. 

Nursery watches him talk to the newlyweds from his table. The way Dex looks at them, attentive and with genuine interest in what they’re saying, warms Nursey’s chest. Dex catches his eye over his cousin’s shoulder and winks and there is absolutely no reason it should kick-start Nursey’s heart like it does. 

Sure, he would’ve liked to bring Dex as his real date, but he’ll settle for this. He just cannot believe how effortless this whole thing’s been. He’d been prepared for this to feel awkward and inorganic, but Dex had calmly introduced himself to some of Nursey’s extended family and jumped at the opportunity to tell them about the embarrassing things Nursey’s been up to at school.

The strangest thing is that Dex isn’t even acting all that different. He’s definitely dialing up his Interacting With Near-Strangers skills, but barring them holding hands and being a little bit more touchy, there isn’t some completely separate persona he’s presenting. 

Nursey sees the conversation wrap up as his cousin and her husband move on to talk to other guests, and Dex slinks over, pulling off his jacket. 

“Hey Nurse,” he says, draping the jacket over the back of his chair. “You wanna dance with me?”

Nursey almost drops his glass. “Uh. Sure.”

Dex holds out his hand and Nursey takes it, letting him lead them to the dance floor. A slow song plays, drawing other couples onto the floor. 

Nursey wraps his arms around Dex’s neck and Dex slides his hands down to Nursey’s waist. 

“You’re really good at this,” Nursey says.

Dex squints quizzically at him, but shrugs like it’s no big deal. “I like weddings. They’re fun.”

“Are you having fun?”

Dex grins. “You’d know if I wasn’t.” He spins Nursey in a smooth circle. 

“You timed this dance well.”

“I requested this song, actually.” Dex ducks his head shyly. “It played at one of my uncles’ weddings and it kinda stuck with me as a wedding song.”

“I’m really glad you came with me,” Nursey says suddenly. He doesn’t know what compelled him to say it, but Dex’s face brightens and the lighting makes him look so soft that Nursey wants to pull him into the bathroom and kiss him senseless. He made a deal with himself though, that he wouldn’t let himself get carried away.

“I’m glad you invited me,” Dex says. As the song fades to the end, he dips Nursey gently and kisses him on the cheek.

“Careful Poindexter,” Nursey says. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were in love with me.” 

Dex rolls his eyes, smile crooked even when he replies, “Isn’t that the point?”

With that, he breaks the spell, reminding Nursey that all of this is just Dex being an incredibly good sport in helping him save face in front of his family. A hard weight settles in his stomach.

He quickly disentangles himself from Dex’s arms. “I, uh, I have to go to the bathroom.”

Ignoring his heart racing in his chest, he speed walks towards the doors, not daring to look back as he flees.

  


__

* * *

  


“Thanks again,” Nursey says on their walk to Annie’s. It’s after midnight, probably approaching one in the morning, but a promise is a promise. And, Nursey wants to go anyway. “I really appreciate you coming.”

“Like I said,” Dex says, strolling leisurely, hands tucked into his pockets, “weddings are fun.”

“I know pretending to be someone’s date can be super uncomfortable but you were really chill about it—”

“Wait.” Dex stops walking. “What are you talking about?”

Nursey stops too. “You were a lot less freaked out about fake dating me than I thought you’d be. I mean, you had _everybody_ in there convinced we were together. Even _I_ almost started to believe it.” 

“Oh.”

Nursey glances at Dex. “What’s the matter? You look upset. I think. I can’t really tell what’s going on.” 

“Well, um. If I’m being honest,” Dex mumbles, looking up at the full moon, “I thought we _were_ dating.” 

“Oh.” 

Dex sucks air in through his teeth. “Yeah.”

“Oh _shit._ ” 

Dex bites his lip. “Sorry,” he says, embarrassment painting itself onto his face as he flushes. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“You’re right, you should’ve told me,” Nursey says glumly, because he’s an asshole. He only waits a beat before adding, “I spent that whole time wishing it was real only to find out it was after the fact.”

It takes a second for Dex to realize what Nursey’s trying to say, but Nursey knows exactly when it does because he hears his sharp intake of breath. 

“This... We— Us—” Dex tries.

“Take your time,” Nursey teases.

“Shut up Nursey. I just went from ‘we’re dating’ to ‘shit we’re _not_ dating’ to ‘we could actually be dating’ in the span of like a minute.”

“What made you think we were dating?” Nursey asks out of pure curiosity. 

“Umm, because we go on dates?”

“We do?”

“Like, you always ask me to go to Jerry’s with you or that one time you invited me to the art thing for one of your classes.” Dex pulls at the hair curling around the base of his neck. “We hang out by ourselves a lot so I just kinda figured…” He gestures with his hands. “Though I did think it was a little excessive that you were taking me to a wedding and then on a follow-up date, but I wasn’t about to complain.”

“You thought I’d take you on that many dates and not kiss you?”

Dex shrugs. “I don’t know how you like to do things.”

Nursey shakes his head, a fond smile softening his features. “Well,” he says, threading his fingers through Dex’s, “I guess you’re about to find out.”

**Author's Note:**

> this is really just me indulging in my love for “fake dating/pretend relationship” + “one person thinks it’s real/one person wishes it was real” + “people who act so much like a couple without realizing it that when they are in a relationship/have to pretend to be in one, there isn’t a noticeable difference” tropes because i always enjoy reading them
> 
> comments/kudos/bookmarks are always appreciated! :)
> 
> come say hi to me on tumblr! [@omgdexnursey](https://omgdexnursey.tumblr.com/)


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